As much as we like to provide all information, we don't want to get too technical either. You should still consult your doctor to ascertain the cause of your hair loss as we are not medically qualified to give you any advice.

For males, by age 35, 40% would have some form of hair loss and by age 85, 80% would have noticeable hair loss.

The Hair Growth Cycle

There are 3 stages of a hair growth cycle: anagen, catagen and telogen.

Here's a video that illustrates the hair growth cycle in a simple way:

Anagen

The Anagen phase has active hair growth that lasts from 2-7 years. Your hair is in the anagen phase 85-90% of the time. When you're growing older, this stage becomes shorter and thus cause thinner hair over time.

The longer the anagen phase, the longer your hair will grow. The hairs on your arms, eyelashes and legs have a much shorter anagen phase of 30-45 days and that's why they're much shorter than your head hair

Catagen

At the Catagen phase, this is where transitional hair growth exists which lasts for 2-3 weeks. In this stage, the follicles are detached.

Telogen

The resting phase of the Telogen stage lasts for 2-3 months. After which, the hair sheds and a new hair is replaced, and so the cycle restarts again. As it is already detached, hair can appear dull and can't be repaired.

What is Alopecia?

Alopecia is just a medical term for hair loss. There are different types of alopecia tagged to various forms of hair loss like androgenetic alopecia, alopecia areata, telogen effluvium, etc.

Who can it affect? Everyone: Men, women, and children.

Common Types of Alopecia

Androgenetic/Androgenic Alopecia (AGA)

AGA is the mos﻿﻿t common cause of hair los﻿﻿s. It is passed on by your parents, grandparents or relatives. Most call it pattern baldness, and there's a distinction between male pattern baldness (MPB) and female pattern baldness (FPB).

MPB in men has clear patterns. It could start with a receding hairline at the temples resulting in a 'M' shape. Another form is when hair begins to thin at the crown. Both types can lead to partial or complete baldness.

In females, it is different. FPB sufferers don't experience receding hairline but thinning all over the head, but thankfully, complete baldness is rare.

So how does this happen?

Researchers have determined that pattern baldness is caused by a particular androgen called Dihydrotestosterone (DHT).

Increased levels of DHT cause a shorter hair growth cycle which in turn causes shorter and thinner hair strands. Furthermore, the delay in replacing hairs that are shed is increased.

This is the very reason why solutions catered to hair loss are geared towards reducing or blocking the DHT.

Telogen Effluvium (TE)

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It is the 2nd most common after AGA but lesser research has been done to understand it further. The condition is harder to define. It simply is the change of the number of hair follicles. During the telogen or resting phase, if the number of these follicles growing hair drops substantially, there is an increase in dormant follicles resulting in hair loss.

​Alopecia Areata

Alopecia areata happens when the immune system attacks the follicles. You could see round patches on the scalp where the hair falls out. These patches are totally smooth and hairless. Fortunately, the damage is usually not permanent and can regrow in a few months. However, 10% of people may not have the chance for hair regrowth.​

Alopecia universalis and alopecia totalis and both related to areata, just in a more aggressive form.

Traction Alopecia

It is caused by physical stress (traction). Strong braids, tight ponytails and constant pulling of the hair cause stress on the affected areas and lose hair over time. So make sure to let your hair down and let it take a breather.

What's Next?

It is always important to approach your doctor to find out the real cause of your hair loss.